New generation Turkish artists in Germany and imagined homeland: Turkey

Abstract

Özellikle 20. yüzyılda dünyada hız kazanan göç hareketleri milyonlarca insanı kıtalar ve ülkeler arasında yer değiştirmeye zorlamış, kendi ulus devletleri dışında yeni bir ülkede yaşam kuran bu insanlar zaman içinde yeni nesillerin de yetişmesiyle yeni kimlikler kazanmaya başlamışlardır. Bugün Almanya Türkleri’nin de dahil olduğu bu göçmen grupları modern diasporik kimlikler olarak tanımlanmakta ve kendilerine özgü kültürel bir yapı göstermektedirler. Göç araştırmalarında bu olgular çeşitli yönleriyle incelenmekte, ortaya yeni kuramlar konmaktadır. Bu kuramlardan birisi de göç eden kişi ve toplulukların bir süre sonra “ana vatanları”nı gerçekte olduğu şekliyle değil, belirli yönleri ile hatırlamaları, kurgulamaları ve yeniden ‘hayali vatan’ olarak üretmeleri üzerinedir. Mekân ve insanlar arasındaki mesafe, gerçekliğin yerine hayal etme ve fantezi dünyasını öne çıkarmaktadır. Ayrıca her toplum kendi hayal etme (imagination) biçimlerine sahiptir ve bu biçimler “ana vatan” kurgusunun farklı topluluklarda çeşitli biçimlerde ortaya konmasına yol açar. Bu makalede kendileri de diasporik alanın öznesi olan, Almanya’da yetişen ikinci nesil Türk sanatçılardan Anny ve Sibel Öztürk’ün bazı yapıtları ele alınarak sanatçıların ‘hayali vatan’ bağlantılı yaklaşımları irdelenmektedir. Öztürkler yapıtlarında 1950-1970’li yıllara dair dinledikleri hikayeler ve kendi çocukluk anılarından yola çıkarak, güncel sanat uygulamaları ile köken ülkelerine, ana vatanlarına bağlar geliştirmektedirler. ‘Yeni vatan’larında ‘ana vatan’larını kurgulayarak 2000’li yıllarda göçün başlangıç yıllarını canlandıran sanatçılar, bu yönüyle aynı zamanda ikili aidiyetlerini de ortaya koymaktadırlar. Anahtar Kelimeler: Diaspora kimliği, hayali vatan, Almanya’da Türk sanatçılar, Anny ve Sibel Öztürk. Especially with the growing speed of migration movements in the world in the 20th century, more people increasingly have moved between continents and countries. Today many people from different countries and nations have been living abroad and they have created new communities, which is called modern diasporas, in their hosting countries. One of these diasporic communities is the turkish community in Germany. In 1961 had begun workers migration from Turkey to Germany and millions of people participated these migration movements. After 46 years there is a Turkish community in Germany with more than 2,5 million inhabitants and with the fourth generations. Researches in the cultural studies shows that  diasporic communities have a special cultural structure between their homelands and new lands. Having a different cultural identity from homeland and living in a new culture they create an hybrid culture. And also, although many of people are far away for a long time from their homelands or the new generations grow up in new country, members of  diasporas show a deep belonging to their homelands. Salman Rushdie said that the people who are living out of their homelands describe their homes with an imagination which comes from their own experiences. It is not the real country they represent but the 'imagined one', also an "imagined homeland" (Rushdie, 1991). And Benedict Anderson define nations as 'Imagined Communities' (Anderson, 1993). Today, there are many Turkish artists living and working in Germany and they are the members of the diasporic community. Also there are new generation Turkish artists who have grew up in Germany, they have had art educations in art academies of Germany and have worked actively in art scene. It is interesting to follow the themes about cultural identity in the works of art of these artists. Two of these artists are Anny and Sibel Ozturk who grew up in Germany, educated in the State Academy of Fine Arts in Frankfurt and have been living in Frankfurt. They often thematize images and different topics about cultural identity in their works. In this article is discussed about three of their works called "Preparations for a Journey", "Lido" and "Rear Window (story no. 6)", with the concept of 'imagined homelands'. In the installations of Ozturks it is possible to follow the images and feelings of imagined homeland. The sisters create the scenes related with their own experiences from their childhood about Turkey and also personal memories of their parents' of Turkey from 1950's and 1970's. First installation, "Preparations for a Journey" shows a wagon of German Railways from 1970's with a film on the window. The wagon implies to the beginning of migration movements from Turkey to Germany. In the film there are many scenes from parks, family members, and from different places, but it is not possible to understand where these scenes belong"Germany or Turkey" So, it implies to transnational communities who have create a special placement between two countries. In the second installation "Lido" the sisters create a place where they install a tee garden and a sea local, probably from Turkey. With the decoration of the place, playing turkish songs and showing an American film from 1950's-1960's they organise an atmosphere from that time. As the sisters say, this atmosphere comes from the stories which were narrated by their parents about life in Turkey at that time. In the last installation "Rear Window" (story no. 6), Öztürks rebuild their aunt's room in Istanbul from 1970's with the same furniture as it was.  Additionally, it is shown the image of the aunt via a projector in the room. So, they perform their own childhood memories with the personal experiences and feelings. In the works above seems that Öztürks makes alive their 'imagined homelands' via the stories and also childhood memories from 1950-1970's. That time is also implies the beginning of the Turkish migration to Germany and beginning of a new life. Thematizing the homeland related with the images of cultural identity and nostalgic feelings in a memory form and exhibiting their works of art in the 'new home' the artists connect their two cultural backgrounds and also imply their double belonging. So, there is a special description of 'imagined homeland' with the personal experiences. Keywords: Diasporic identity, imagined homeland, Turkish artists in Germany, Anny and Sibel Öztürk